Once you got past the heavily peppered outside, it didn't have any real distinguishing flavor. None.

Now I'm used to grass-fed steak and so I know how it can be tender or
can be shoe leather. But it always has flavor. It's own distinctive
flavor.

This one, all $50 worth, didn't have any.

Because that flavor comes from the various grasses that beef consumed,
particularly the last 60 days or so. What these guys got was a
corn-finished beef which is fattened on corn for the last 30-60 days or
so. Yes, that's the problem - corn robs the flavor from the meat.

What corn does which grass won't is to add more fat onto those animals (see What about Cholesterol and Fats?).
That makes them cook quicker with a higher temperature. So you can get
that "char-broiled" flavor. But what is the actual flavor? Burnt fat.
Try this yourself. Cut away all the fat and what they cooked it in.
Unless they marinaded it all night before (which should really be done
with any beef), you won't really taste anything but texture. Because it
has no scent, and most of taste is in the scent.

Marinading actually imbues the beef with some sort of juicy or
alcoholic flavor, which then mostly stays in on cooking and makes the
beef more tender.

Years ago, I ran into that lack of taste problem - which again, you can
try for yourself - at a fast food restaurant. Buy their best seller,
not their high or low end. Now take the burger out and set it to the
side. Leave as much of the special sauce and everything else between the
buns. Now bite in and taste. What you do get? Outside of a loss of a
little texture, the taste doesn't actually change.

But that reason is also that they are buying the cheapest hamburger
they can get - which isn't from Prime or Choice carcasses, you can bet
on it.

Another story. We
once had an old cow who had injured herself during birthing. We had to
have her processed on the spot and then taken to a processor to be made
into hamburger. She was anywhere from 12 to 14 years old. That hamburger
went to friends and friends of friends. But you know what - they loved
it. Absolutely. We even have standing orders for hamburger now from some
of those people. Should have been tough and so on - that's why we
didn't risk it and it all went to 'burger.

But that cow had been on nothing but grass it's entire life. Sure, I
fed it some good hay and some cob-corn pieces in her last days. Maybe a
week. So that wouldn't have created such a change.

I just like grass fed beef because it actually has flavor.
It's not the same as deer, which is far more flavorful but really tough
unless you stew it a long time and cut it into very tiny portions. And
some people like their food so bland that they can't stand beef like
that.

However, the majority of the people we have sold this to just keep coming back for more. Out of their way, in fact.

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Farm Tours Available on Request

While
we are very busy most days as usual, we do have visitors and these are
always welcome. However, we do request that you call ahead for an
appointment. Some seasons do not lend themselves to farm tours, but a
nice day in the pastures is a joy nearly all year round. (Note:
Non-guided tours are not permitted by our insurance.)

Just bring your boots and be prepared to walk!

Don't Miss Out - Get Your Name on The List!

Sorry
we missed you this year. We are still currently accepting clients. Once
we have enough regulars, we'll shut our list down again. Fill out that
contact form today so you can get your name on the list for next year!

We only process so many beef a year.
Because we are a small, local farm that is more interested in
delivering lots of value through our beef than holding out for a lot of
profit at insanely high prices.

And our harvest season is in Spring, right up to June, not all year round.

As
more people find out about our farm, more people want our product.
Unfortunately, we can't provide our beef to everyone. And some people
simply live too far away.